Honda And Evans Face Challenges In WA

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – April 18, 2011: The first round of the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship threw up some challenges for the Evans Motorsport team.

Heat One began with two Super Special stages under lights on Friday night (15 April) at Barnard Park in Busselton. The Honda finished fourth, continuing this placing for the remainder of the stages on Saturday, placing fourth outright in Heat One.

Saturday night saw the start of Heat Two, again at Barnard Park. Unfortunately, the night ended with the Honda sustaining some damage to the rear end. As Evans and Weston crossed the finishing line in the first Super Special Stage, a brake issue forced Evans to attempt to stop using the handbrake, resulting in the car hitting a wall. They managed to finish the second Super Special Stage, however lost time and dropped back in the field.

Evans commented at the end of the night. “We weren’t ready for it but got off the best way we could. We dropped about fifteen seconds but were able to fix the car overnight and start again on Sunday.”

During one of the last stages on Sunday, Evans encountered another problem. “We went around a long, fast left hander down a hill that turned into a right hairpin. I came in a bit too fast and spun to the left. I had to keep accelerating to get the front end to come around and by the time I hit the brakes, we were in a ditch on the inside of the corner. We shot over a hole and hit some concrete which bent the castor arm.

“We managed to get going again, then broke a drive shaft down the road. Glen and I were both disappointed. It was a bit of a shock,” Evans said.

The Honda didn’t finish the stage, however was able to rejoin the heat at the last service of the day, ensuring they earned points for the event.

Despite the setbacks, Evans is happy with the Honda. “The way the car is set up now works really well. It’s really good to drive with a great suspension set up. The more kilometres I do, the better I get. It [the final result] was frustrating as it was all going smoothly.”

The team will regroup and get the Honda back on track for the second round of the Bosch ARC on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland from 13 to 15 May.